Abdulraof Macacua was elected chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on October 30, 2026, securing 51 votes during the inaugural session of the first elected regional parliament in Cotabato City with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in attendance.
Fifty-one of the 80 newly elected members of the Bangsamoro Parliament chose Macacua to lead the regional government, while 27 lawmakers voted for his rival, Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim. Two members representing the Indigenous People’s sector abstained from the nominal voting process. The decisive margin followed coalition shifts within the chamber, where the Bangsamoro Federalist Party emerged with a 51-seat majority bloc alongside allied lawmakers, outstripping the United Bangsamoro Justice Party’s 27 votes. Lawmakers also elected Amer Zaakaria Rakim of the BARMM Grand Coalition as speaker by an identical 51-27 vote, replacing outgoing interim speaker Mohammad Shuaib Yacob. Ebrahim lost the support of four United Bangsamoro Justice Party district representatives: Tawakal Midtimbang of Maguindanao del Sur’s 1st District, and Hamza Gauraki, Lampa Pandi, and Ahmad Amir “Arrie” Balindong of Lanao del Sur’s 2nd, 4th, and 8th districts. Following the parliamentary vote, the Chief Minister will lead the regional government and advance its development priorities, subject to parliamentary oversight.
President Marcos Pledges Support as Interim Body Ends
The convening of the region’s first regular legislature formally dissolved the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, which had governed the autonomous area as an interim administration for seven years since 2019. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., addressing the chamber before the leadership vote at the Shariff Kaunsuan Cultural Complex, hailed the transition from armed struggle to peaceful democratic governance. The landmark election marks a turning point for the predominantly Muslim region in the southern Philippines after decades of conflict. The emergence of rebel movements such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front resulted in a conflict in Mindanao that took a heavy toll in terms of human lives.
Winning the right to govern was a significant achievement. The successful conduct of the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections was another historic step forward.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., via Agence France-Presse
The president urged the newly seated legislators to focus on effective administration and transparent resource management. He reminded the assembly that establishing a stable regional government requires delivering public services that respond directly to the daily needs of local communities. Government funding for the region will continue to rely heavily on national budget transfers, with allocations tentatively set at more than 115 billion pesos, equivalent to $1.8 billion, in the proposed 2027 national budget.
Security Forces Secure Cotabato City for Inaugural Session
Security forces maintained a heavy presence across Cotabato City for the inaugural session. Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, oversaw a security contingent that included military and police battalions deployed at all city entry points. Starting Wednesday, the Maguindanao del Sur Police Provincial Office deployed a 150-strong security contingent to help ensure the inaugural session was peaceful, while at least a battalion of police, Army, Coast Guard, and Philippine Marines secured the city, backed by armored personnel carriers and watercraft to guard the city’s tributaries. Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento emphasized that the administration coordinated closely with security clusters to ensure an orderly public event.
Through synchronized coordination with our security cluster and the peace implementing panels, we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure a peaceful, orderly, and secure inaugural session on October 30
Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento, Presidential Peace Adviser
The smooth opening session followed civic participation in the region’s first parliamentary elections held on September 14, 2026. Official figures from the Commission on Elections recorded a voter turnout of 84.34 percent, representing 2,018,478 ballots cast out of 2.393 million registered voters. In an assessment released Thursday, the Asian Network for Free Elections and the National Democratic Institute noted that the September results were broadly accepted but identified concerns involving intimidation, vote-buying, and pre-shaded ballots.
Macacua Vows Governance and Reconciliation
Before the ballot, Macacua approached Ebrahim at his seat in the session hall and embraced him. Speaking to the assembly after taking his oath before Wali Sheikh Muslim Guiamaden, Macacua committed to maintaining the moral governance agenda established during his predecessor’s tenure. He also appointed Hadjimar Matba and Mamintal Adiong III as deputy chief ministers for Southwestern Mindanao and North Central Mindanao, respectively.
The newly elected members of Parliament will serve a fixed five-year term ending on June 30, 2031, operating under the structural framework established by the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
LOOK | Members of the Bangsamoro Parliament elected MP Abdulraof Macacua as chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) during their first session at the Plenary Hall in Cotabato City on Friday, October 30.Macacua secured 51 votes from the 79… pic.twitter.com/7gaWAJnNNH
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